Known best for his flamboyant ready-to-wear designs—think studs, prints, chain mail—iconic Italian designer Gianni Versace quickly rose as the face of ’80s and ’90s fashion. In addition to setting the mood and trends for decades, he also played an integral role in the rise of the supermodel, often favoring catwalkers such as Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, and Cindy Crawford for his runway shows and campaigns.

If you’re anything like us, you’re counting down the minutes— no, seconds—until The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story makes its grand debut on January 17. Based on the real-life assassination of the iconic fashion designer Gianni Versace in the late 1990s, the second season of Ryan Murphy’s hit TV series follows the events leading up to and immediately following the Versace murder. In anticipation of the series premiere, we’ve conjured up a guide to all of the need-to-know characters and sized them up against their real-life counterparts.